Current weather

Avalanches briefly close Seward Highway; weather warnings issued

Two small avalanches have caused short-term blockage of one lane of traffic on the Seward Highway.

Department of Transportation spokeswoman Meadow Bailey says in an email to The Associated Press that the slides blocked the lane of traffic at Mile 106, or about two miles north of Indian.

She says there may have been intermittent delays on the highway associated with the slides, but the highway wasn’t closed.

She says officials will conduct avalanche mitigation efforts later Wednesday in the area, and travelers can expect delays of up to an hour Wednesday afternoon.

The National Weather Service has issued a pair of blizzard warnings, one for the area around Kachemak Bay through 4 p.m. today, with 3 to 6 inches of snow and wind gusts of up to 50 mph.

The other blizzard warning is for the area north of Moose Pass, including Turnagain Arm, through 6 p.m. today. Forecasters are calling for 12 to 24 inches of snow and wind gusts of up to 75 mph along Turnagain Arm.